You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
My 94 year old Nan is still kicking ass and taking names so she wants a new phone so as to keep up with the other cool kids.
The last one she bought was meant for elderly types but was clearly a ruse as EVERYONE was baffled by how complicated the OS was.
I'm hoping someone has some experience picking a phone for their favourite biscuit tin wielder and can help me out please?
Nan basically only wants to send texts so we need.
BIG BUTTONS
A super easy to use OS with maybe a three button sequence to send a text?
Also PAYG please.
Big thanks From lovely Rita and her favourite grandson, boxwithawindow.
My 91 year old dad is very happy with his Samsung moto G6 Play. It’s not expensive and easy to use. He does use one of those conductive pencils sometimes as he has big fingers.He has loads of apps that he uses on it but like any phone it would be possible to take all but the essential icons off the front screen to simplify use if it’s only for texts.
Smart phone with only the apps you need on the front page. Easy peasy piece of piss. Buttons are shit.
Watching with interest.
My inlaws need a new phone to replace the 3310, have never touched a computer in their lives and a smart phone would turn their heads inside out (and in turn mine!).
We're getting them a Giffgaff SIM card (we're on Giffgaff too) so we can manage their account online for them.
This looked interesting, but then I can see the big SOS button being off putting and also leading to false alarms!
My next choice was one of these. 2G only, but that's not getting turned off until 2033.
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/4637620?clickSR=slp:term:nokia:10:41:1
Nokia 105 or 8210 (now with 4g!) would be closest 3310 replacements.
For an older person any android smartphone with the text sizes turned up larger works well. Your gran will be a tik tok demon within weeks.
MIL had one of the later Nokia 105 phones. When we transferred her phone over to a cheap contract (Pay as you go was working out really expensive on air time) her old Nokia wouldn't accept any newer sims. The good thing was the new phone was very similar to the old one in operation. Battery life was also important.
There must, surely, be a market for a feature phone that isn't shite. I've had half an eye out for years for a decent replacement for my mum's phone and nothing's jumped out at me.
I’ve just been recycling my old iPhones/iPads to my mum.
When her last hand down ipad broke she just bought a new one at apple as she liked it so much.
She’s suprisingly seems to have got the hang of it and the iPhone and using it for online shopping during the Covid years and FaceTime audio to talk to me.
If you’d have told me my ma would have been online food shopping I and her would have laughed at the mere thought as she had no interest in these things at all.
> Battery life was also important
When I mentioned battery life to the inlaws they were not concerned - they only usually turn it on at the weekend to see if anyone has texted during the week, or when they get to town on the weekly trip to Sainsburys!!!
I'm laughing now - I wonder what my lad will laugh about me when I'm old(er!).
Does it have to be a smartphone?
82 year old MummyIHN is still using the non-smart phone she's had for years. She uses it for calls and texts, so doesn't need anything else. The battery lasts ages (because, well, they used to didn't they?)
She occasionally talks about getting a smartphone because I think she thinks that she should because "that's what people have these days", but if I'm honest I dissuade her as it'd be a nightmare. What she's got works for her, so KISS.
Simple is best and I've not been thinking about a smartphone really.
However like people have said if you turn on the accessibility functions and just have a great big icon on the home screen for texting that might work.
Thanks all
For anyone who's got an elderly person with a phone, I'd suggest getting a spare one of the exact same model while they're still available to buy. Once they get to a certain stage, learning a new phone after the old one broke / got drowned etc. is hard and they might never manage it.
Basic Nokia 105 set up on Giffgaff (for easy remote top ups from our end) and posted over to them.
They phoned from the land line to say it had arrived. When questioned, they didn't know how to turn it on and said "We'll wait until you visit to show us". We visit every couple of months - and like to text in advance so they have written confirmation of our plans.
FIL had to go and ask a neighbour how to plug it in as it didn't fit the wall socket - it's one of those flat plugs with a slide out earth. Good news is if they do turn it on it has a claimed 35 days standby battery life!
We're pushing them to use it so the number doesn't expire. Oh well!
At least they don't have a computer so I don't need to provide tech support.
We bought the FIL a Dorro phone, which is basically an Android phone aimed at old people. It was OK, but he's now migrated onto a normal Android phone (wife's ex company phone) with the icon size increased etc. We didn't think he'd manage, but he's surprised us and gets on fine with it.
you used to be able to get a special launcher for andoid phones that had max of 6 big buttons on the home page
My late partner absolutely refused to have any type of phone which might have had even a hint of ‘smart’ added to it! She had an iPad Mini, given to her by her sister, and she was reluctant to use that. She just had no interest or desire to get involved with the technology. If she wanted anything that involved searching or ordering then she asked me sweetly to do it.
Nothing to do with this thread, but those Race Matrix brake pads I bought from you have never been delivered.
No reply to my PMs or posts on other threads.
Can you contact me, please.
Another recommendation for something from the Dorro range. This is the kind of stuff they specialise in. They normal phones with big buttons or smart phones with simplified use interface and other accessibility features.